Ozbow

...the sort of stuff that people like Ray Mears, Andrew Price, Bear Grylls and our very own Bush Tucker Man get into?

It has interested me for a while but after recently picking up a copy of a UK magazine, "Bushcraft & Survival Skills" - it has really got my interest going.

There is nothing better than wondering off into the scrub with minimal gear, camping along side a small creek, catching trout on a simple line/hook combo with a scrubby you have found near camp and then cooking up a feast on a flint made fire. The simple things in life hey...

I guess its the whole 'live off the land - minimalist' thing I like.

So, who's coming for a couple of nights out of going hungry and freezing ya bangers off!?







Images from Ravenlore Bushcraft & Wilderness Skills website

Yeah Guy it appeals to me, I am aware of alot of bush tucker in the Blue Mountains and feel I could scratch out a living. Native Cherries that taste like natures sour lollies as you have to get them before the birds, geebungs that taste like grapes and grow on two types of trees aswell as a ground cover species that hides the fruit beneath the cover. Plenty of flowers to suck on for sweetness, sarspirella leaves for Vit c and then the trout and bunnys for protien Steve

Now your talkin Steve...

Hey Gundy, thats what most of us farmers have been doing all our lives, living of the land, living by bushcraft, I can remember living on the land without power, using kero lamps, killing the animals and hanging them in muslin sheets, inside a coolgardie safe, also we used our smoke house to cure a lot of our meat. And for your infomation, all this happened only a mere 47 years ago. We had pigs, cows, goats, their milk made great cheese. Been there done that, still enjoy the occasional hunt, just one other little story for you, can you imagine this happening now, The first Friday of every 3 months the Bank manager would come to the house, bring a couple of beers "long necks", help us cut up one of the beast, take some homemade jams, preserved fruit etc,and as he walked out the door would say, " Well thats taken care of this quarters Over/draft. Gave up the farm many years ago, worked for years in the building industry, now looking forward to retireing and some more hunting. My Parents owned the farm, I left the farm when I was 17 yrs. Cheers Roadie

Guy
There are some really good sites in the UK and US I prefer the UK ones. some US stuff starts me wondering when they get on about the world and Terrorists. The banjo just strums a bit loud on those sites.
The other person you might like to look at is a guy call Robin Wood who makes traditional bowls spoons furniture even makes bridges in forests look him up on Youtube and his own blog.
I do like the bushcraft stuff but you know they limit themselves to one Bow and One knife, sorry mate had to say that.
Thats the last time promise.
Cheers tonyj

Your right there Ben It's pretty cold down here now. Gundy I'm in!

Yep! I love this sort of stuff. And I would love to come on a trip, but it may be a tad difficult finding my way over to your side of the country. I try to do most of my fletching, etc as basic as I can too, which is why i dont use glue and I just bind them by hand; either in the early hours of a saturday/sunday morning or outside by a campfire at night. theres plenty of videos on youtube aswell that I have watched that are all about bush survival, etc.

Ben

still trying to figure out how to get my hands on native irish whiskey.....aka antifreeze

Kevin

.....ok, next week when we are hunting you can sleep out side in the dirt - me, I am sleeping in the caravan!!

Phill

Crowcreek2 wrote:.....ok, next week when we are hunting you can sleep out side in the dirt - me, I am sleeping in the caravan!!

Phill

You PRISSY! Your of the Grylls heritage too, man up!

Tony...last time? I dont believe you!

I just subscribed to that magazine. Really enjoying it!

.....I will remind you of this when you come knocking on the caravan door at 3.30am crying how cold it is - Rememeber last time we were there one night was -3 degC!!

Sounds interesting gundy,
You will have to explain some of the erm "rules" b4 I sign up tho
Ive done a few 4wd and hiking trips, I kayak bits of the Murray now n then. Cant say it was all minimalist tho.Whilst it was true I only had what I could carry in, It did include some high tech camping equipment.

Yeah I love this sort of stuff.

I am spending far more time on the bushcraft than the archery these days. It is a bit more inclusive of my two oldest kids (2 and 6) who are a bit young still to really enjoy the archery. Archery for me anyway is just another adjunct to the bushcraft. This type of stuff has always been a part of what I do - it is kind of like breathing. You feel suffocated if you don't get out and about and practice skills.

Bronwyn (my oldest) often head down the creek when the other kids are sleeping in the afternoon. We light a fire down and bake a couple of apples while we twist up cordage from the reeds. We usually end up wearing a piece of cordage as a bracelet. It is a nice reminder through the week of the fun we have had on the weekend. She has her own Mora and is becoming very competent at using it.

Roadie, we are not quite farmers however we do home kill our own lambs and have an orchard and garden. I know what you are saying. These things just become a part of your life after a while.

I don't think that the minimalist approach is about roughing it or making life hard. The less you carry the more you appreciate what you have. You can actually get more done in the day with less kit as you don't have to spend 2 hours packing in the morning before moving on. I think that the same goes in our day to day lives. The more you own the more you worry about it all being taken away.

Steve

Gundy

This is something I've always been interested in too. I've never actually found myself in a survival situation, like being lost in the bush for a prolonged period, but it's good to be prepared anyway, just in case.

You should try to find copies of two iconic Australian books written on this subject. 'The Bushman's Handbook', written by H A Lindsay is a classic, as is 'The 10 Bushcraft Books' by Richard Graves. They're almost mandatory reading for anyone wishing to spend time in the Australian bush.

Mick

maybe there's enough interest out there to start a bushcraft/primitive skills forum section?  
there's nothing better than roughing it while out hunting, its part of the experience for me. it adds to the sense of achievement at the hunts end.

btw- i'm trying my hardest to convince the outfitter i'm working for to let me and a young guide (you got to have them here it's the law) do a backpack walk in hunt to a valley that has never been hunted. it would feel good packing out a black bear after a backpack hunt in the canadian wilderness. 

stringnstik wrote: Cant say it was all minimalist tho.

.... HA!!! yeah, specially since acquiring me & the billy lids!!!

I try, I really do.... but taking a trailer camping really helps

Steve,
its all GREAT time out bush with the kids.

Some good comments and thats an interesting concept regarding a sub forum Clinton.

Mick, Ill look into those books now! Thanks for the heads up...

Just wrote a long reply and submitted it just as Guy did and away it went to the ether
I'll try again after dinner

Yes to a sub forum.
what about a sharing of knowledge , skills and products at Lilydale on 12/13 sept 3D shoot. chew the fat or sip a wine
I know at LB 100 Nev and steve had a pile of things to share ie Tarp Tents, Portable fires, firemaking bows, weapons etc etc and I mean etc. Don't get Steve going ask Stephen G he is still recovering.
We have a lot of people doing that sought of gear. It could add to any good gathering. maybe some workshops could be done over a weekend camp. stevenJ Firesticks and scandi knives, Blakey knives and axes, Stringy leatherwork, Richard from lilydale camp cooking and winemaking and on the list will go,
Sorry this is my shorten version.
does anyone else have this problem of replies slipping away if another reply occurs at the same time , I've had it a few times now
Cheers TonyJ

does anyone else have this problem of replies slipping away if another reply occurs at the same time , I've had it a few times now

Tony,

If someone has replied while you are typing a reply a notice stating such will appear when you hit the submit button. It will ask you if you want to post your reply anyway - just hit submit and your reply will be posted as normal. Perhaps you didn't notice this and your post didn't actually get posted?

You can always type out a post in M Word and copy and paste it into a reply post.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff

Evening All, when I go out, I carry in my small back pack a good skinning knife,water resistance matches,flints,glow sticks,a couple of small smoke flares, rather large garbage bag (light weight body bag) and a silk sleeping bag liner. In the pack I carry at least 6 mtrs of piano wire for making things.also carry a highly polished piece of stainless steel,3"x4" in the pack also I have 2 broad bandages for snake bites or any other biting creatures. As well also carry a small bottle of vinigar for stings. On myself I have two water bottles, water purifying tablets, I also carry my very reliable and sharp bayonet, plus my ever trusty leather man tool, bow and arrows. Also have packets of barley sugar and small packets off home made scroggin ( rasins,nuts etc ). Compass and small 40 channell UHF radio whos capabale of transmitting at least 5 klm. I carry this every time I go out, hunting or bush walking. What do other hunters carry when they go out. Cheers Roadie.

Looks as though there may be enough interest here to start up a new sub-forum? Ill see the boss about it.

Edited to add:
Roadie, I carry the following while hunting outback areas;

Knife
Plastic Bags
Whistle (emergency)
Flint / tinder
UHF Radio
Paracord
Small Med kit
GPS & Compass

If I hunt the mountains, I am more at home, so thin it down to;

Knife
Whistle (emergency)
Flint / tinder
Small med kit
Compass

Bushcraft (although I am only getting into it);

Knife x 2 (Small, Medium)
Small pack axe
Flint/tinder
Field Line (or thin, tough rope)
Tarp (currently researching a better one than I have)
Small fishing kit (hobo kit)

Lists are always growing/changing and need not be extensive by any means.

Stickbow Hunter wrote:

does anyone else have this problem of replies slipping away if another reply occurs at the same time , I've had it a few times now

Tony,

If someone has replied while you are typing a reply a notice stating such will appear when you hit the submit button. It will ask you if you want to post your reply anyway - just hit submit and your reply will be posted as normal. Perhaps you didn't notice this and your post didn't actually get posted?

You can always type out a post in M Word and copy and paste it into a reply post.

Jeff

I suffered from this last night in the PM section of the site. I had typed a PM and when I hit submit it just disappeared to nowhere. At the time I simply said to myself "I think you must need to have a rum, you are going/gone mad ". Perhaps the PM bit has the same gremlin?

Back to the bushcraft subject, this is great fun and I have had many nights in camp where I reckoned "it doesn't get any better than this", even if I was very hungry, wet and tired from unsuccessful hunting attempts. A small fishing rig is one of the best backstops you can have. I remember one night we ate about 20 very small spangled perch (between 3 of us) because there wasn't anything else around. All in the name of fun and good experience........Rod

mick have a book by richard graves called bushcraft from 1978 isbn 0 7100 8862 0 is that they same one your talking about 10 chapters ropes cordage /huts and thatching /campcraft /food water / fire making / knots lashings / tracks lures / snares traps / travel gear / time directions .
I bought this in 1978 for the sum of £3 also have a copy of NONEED to DIE by eddie McGee also 1978 isbn 901764-41-8 have collected books like this since I could afford to buy them . cheers hugh

I was right into this sort of things years ago but as time moved on I let it all go.
People used to think I was nuts practicing setting up camp in the dark and lighting a fire in the rain.
I believe you should practice all these survival techniques at home before you have to need them.
My wife gave me a book on survival and bush craft. Best present ever. I must have read it more than 100 times. Knew every thing in it.
Talking about this stuff is getting me interested in some real camping again.
Tex

All I can say is let this grow!!
Any op for us city wimps to get it out and share the real world with the rest of you, learning from you and watching you laugh as we peel away our woosy hand blisters...is probably a good thing :lol

Seriously very interested in this....lets do it b4 I get too old and cranky.
I used to carry way too much gear on my dirt bike, the others always laughed. Nothin bad ever happened so they kept laughing but one day one day ill be ready for a mass disaster :lol

Those bushcraft books are good, Ive been eyeing them off a bit myself. Maybe now there is a reason.

Gear: (non dirtbike related)
hydra pack.
water bottle (backup)
tranjia(with matches and fuel) (ok not really minmalist but I have one)
head torch (redled)
winduptorch
monocular
knife
bags
small med kit
sewing kit
string/rope
compass
UHF
Whistle

I guess the list goes on.
I spent a week in QLD once with one of those reflective tarps (slightly more robust than a first aid kit emergency blanket). Dont think Id rely on that in Melb winter tho.
I like my warm dry sleep I feel its paramount to survival.


Here is a thought.. when we get to the nitty gritty end.
State a weight limit and environment and then see what youd take/leave behind.

This thread is really moving along!

In regards to Mick Smith:
To me bushcraft is not about survival skills. It is about using what is around me in a sustainable way to solve the problems that I have at hand. It is about gaining a better understanding of the natural resources God has given (I also acknowledge that he also gives me modern resources too ). It changes ones perspective on life. For example if you have spent 20minutes making a couple of meters of cordage, you will never make a complaint against the nylon cord from the hardware that costs only a few cents a meter and is much stronger.

A sub forum would be fun. It is great to read about the stuff in the UK, but it would be good to learn more about the uses of our native plants. For that we need local experience and testing.

Steve